Art of treating printing plates



July 14, 1925. *Y 1 1,545,958 R. J. GREENWAYl ART 0F TREATING PRINTING PLATES 4 Filed July e, 1923 sheets-Shed 2 mm -mmm- &5 ATTORNEYS July 14, 1925. 1,545,958

R. J. GREENWAY ART 0F TREATING PRINTING PLATES 'I Filed July G, 1925 3 ShelZS-Sheet 3 I NVEN TOR ATTORNE YS Patented July 14, 1925.v

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

RICHARD J. GREENWAY, oF WESTERLY, RHODE ISLAND, AssIGNoR To Q. E. CoT'rRELL a soNs COMPANY, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION oF DELAWARE.

ART F TREATING PRINTING PLATES.

Application mea .Tul'y s,

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, RICHARD J. GREEN' WAY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Westerly, in the county of Washington and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Art of Treating Printing Plates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesL to improvements in l that branch of the art of treating manufactured relief printing plates where the makeready or the desired graduated printing surface is produced in the face.y of the plate as distinguished from those branches of the 5 art where the making ready7 consists in underlaying the plate or in overlaying the impression surface; both of which latter methods are slow and expensive and require great skill to secure fine effects.

` The object of my invention is to pro-vide certain improvements in the method of treating printing plates whereby the 'exact character of the printing surface in the .plate desired may be rapidly, easily and 5 inexpensively produced.

My invention more particularly includes certain steps in the method of treating the printing plate whereby exact register is obtained and retained between the plate and l the means applied to the back and face of the plate to produce the desired graduations in the printingface of lthe plate.

In carrying out my invention in its most complete form in connection with a manufactured relief plate having both pictorial Iand type matter, I proceed as follows I take the printing plate and drill registry holes therethrough in the bearers, lsaid registry holes being preferably of con.-

l siderable size so as -to make them effective in the subsequent registry operations'between the plate and its back and face matrices, both for longitudinal and lateral registration. I preferably drill two of these' registry holes,

i one at the top and one at the bottom of the plate.

I then even ing plate, as by shaving desired extent.

l I then print a number of proofs from the or level the back of the(print the same to the 1923. Serial No. 649'L37.

When the corrections to be made in the A face of the plate have been determined by the examination of the proof sheets, the proof sheet which is to be applied to the face of the plate will have its solids or heavy impression surfaces cut-out and the proof sheet which is to be applied to the back of the plate will have the corresponding solids or impression surfaces built-up, preferably with the portions which were cut-out of the first named proof so as to ensure accuracy and save time.

These proofs are then applied in register tothe back and face of the plate and the plate with the so applied proofs is subjected to heatand pressure, the complementary surfaces of the built-up and cut-'out proofs coacting to produce the desired graduated printing surface in the face of thev plate. These cut-out and built-up proofs constitute what I will hereafter designate as face andv back matrices respectively.

In practice I suitably mount the proofs which go to form the matrices `and then apply and secure them in register on the back and face of the plate as follows:

For the face matrix I paste the back of a first proof sheetonto a thin metal sheet. I cut the solids or heavy impression surfaces out of a second proof sheet and paste the back of the so cut-out sheet onto the face of the first proof sheet in register. I then-paste the back of a third proof sheet onto the face lof the cutout` proof sheet yin register. I then punch or cut-out the so assembled sheets at the registry hole impressions to form holes which are to be utilized to bring the matrix into register with the plate. The face matrix is then completed. For the back matrix I take a proof sheet and build up the solids or heavy impression surfaces on itsface, preferably by pasting the portionswhich were cut-out of the face proof sheet, onto the solids or heavy impresslon surfacesv of the back proof sheet.

I then paste the face of this built-up proof sheet onto a thin metal sheet. I then punch l take another proof sheet and punch out the registry hole impressions and also. cut-out the type matter portions thereof and paste the back of the sofcut-out proof sheet onto the other side of the thin met-al sheet just above referred to, in proper register. The back matrix is then completed.

I then apply the cut-out or face matrix to the face of the plate with or without the interposition of a sheet of blotting paper or other soft material.

I also apply the built-up or back matrix to the back of the plate. These matrices are brought into register with the plate by inserting registry pins through the registry holes in the plate and matrices. These registry pinspwill bring the matrices into perfect longitudinal and lateral register on the plate with the low or cut-out solids of the face matrix in register with the high or built-up sol-ids of the back matrix, the one being complementary of the other. The matrices may then be secured to the plate while the registry pins are still in the holes. One way of securing the matrices to the plate would be by the use of tacks.

I then remove the registry pins and the assembled plate and matrices are inserted between the two pressure surfaces of a press,

preferably heated surfaces. The assembled plate and matrices are then subjected to suficient pressure and, if necessary, heat, to

4permanently produce the desired graduated printing surface in the face of the plate.

The instrumentalities used for carrying out my invention are represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 represents a face view of a'sheet bearing a proof impression taken from the printing plate and showing the impressions of the registry holes which were drilled through the plate.

Fig. 2 represents a face view of a proof sheet showing the solidsof the pictorial matter cut-out.

Fig. 3 represents a face view of another proof, showing the corresponding so-lids of the pictorialmatter built-up.

Fig. 4 represents a face view of still another proof sheet, showing the type matter cut-out.

Fig. 5 represents a longitudinal section, showing the back of the plate being evened.

Fig. 6 represents a similar section through the matrix which is to be applied to the face of the plate.

Fig. 7 represents a similar section through the matrix which is to be applied to the back of the plate.

Fig. 8 represents a similar section, showing the plate with the face and back matrices held in registry by ythe registry pins. i Fig. 9 represents a similar section, showing the assembled plate and matrices in the press ready to be subjected to heat and pressure.

Fig. 1() represents a similar section, showing the assembled plate and matrices after they have been subjected to heat and pressure, to produce the desired eleva-tions and depressions in the face of the plate.

Fig. 11 represents a similar section, show# ing the back matrix removed and the back of the plate being shaved to even it while the face matrix is still applied to the face of the plate.

Fig. 12 represents a similar section through the completed plate.

In the drawings the thicknesses of the sheets employed in the process and the scarcely visible graduations in the printing surface of the plate are greatly exaggerated for imparting a clearer understanding of the process. p p

The upper'and lower pressure surfaces of a press are denoted by 1 and 2. These surfaces may be suitably heated in any well known or approved manner, if so desired. The shaving knife is denoted by 3 and the bed of th`e shaving machine by 4.

The printing plate is denoted by 5, its opposite bearers by 6 and 7 and the registry holes therethrough by 8 and 9. The removable registry pins are denoted by 10 and 1l.

The sheet of blotting paper or other soft material which may or may not be interposed between the face matrix and face of the plate, is denoted by 12.

The thin metal sheet which forms a part of the face matrix is denoted by 13. The first proof sheet which is pasted thereto, is denoted by 14, and the cut-out second proof sheet is denoted by 15. The registry hole impressions are denoted by 17 and 18 and the holes themselves by 19 and 20.

The thin metal sheet which forms a part of the back matrix is denoted by 21, the built-up proof sheet-whichis pasted'on one side thereof is denoted by 22, and the proof sheet with the type matter cut-out, which is applied to the other side ofthe thin metal sheet, is denoted by 23. The registry hole impressions are denoted by 24 and 25 and the holes themselves by 26 and 27.

It will be seen that I produce the desired graduated printing surface or make-ready in the face of the printing plate, bythe utilization of matrices applied respectively to the face and back of the plate, the face matrix having low or cut-out portions at the desired points, and the back matrix having high or built-up portions at the same points, the surfaces of the two matrices being complementaryso that when the assembled -sheet and matrices are subjected to therethat the face and vbacky matrices may be.

produced in diereilt ways without departing from the spirit and scope of my`inven- I' tion; hence, I, do not wish to be limited to the number nor the order of the steps herein set forth,nor to the manner of producing the matrices, buty What I claim iss- 1. That improvement in the art of treating printing plates. which consists in4 printing proofs fr om -the plate, cutting out predetermined portions from one proof and building up the corresponding predetermined portlons of the other proof with said cut-out portions, applying the built-up and cut-out proofs to the back and face respectively of the plate, and subjectin the same to pressure to produce the des1red graduated printing surface in the face of the plate.

2. That improvement in the art of treating printing plates which consistsin printing proofs from the plate, cutting out :pnedetermined .portions from one proof and building up the corresponding predetermined portions of the other proof with said cut-out portions, applying the built-up and c'ut-out proofs to the back and face respectively of the plate, and subjecting the same to heat and pressure to produce the desired graduated printing surfacepin the face ofy the plate.

, 3. That improvement in the art oftreating printing plates which consists in print-l ing proofs from the plate, cutting out the solids from one proof yand building'l up the solids ofthe other proof with said cut-out portions, applying-the built-up and cut-out proofs to the back and face respectively of the plate, and subjecting the same to pressure to produce the desired graduated printing surface in the face of the plate.

4.' That improvement in the art of treating printing plates Which-consists in printing proofs fromNt-he plate, cutting 'out the solids from one proof and building up the solids of the other proof with said -cut-out portions, applying the built-up and cut-out proofs to the back'and face respectively of the plate, and subjecting the same to heat and pressurefto produce the ldesired vgraduatedfprinting surface in the face of the plate. v f

`5. That improvement in the art kof treatingy printing plates having combined type matter and pictorial illustrations which consists in printing proofs from the plate, cutting out the sollds from one of the proofs and building up the solids of the other proof, cutting out another proof over the type matter and. securing 1t in registry to the built-up proof, applying the built-up and cut-out proofs to the back and face respectively of the plate, and subjecting the same to pressure to produce the desired graduated printing surface in the face of the plate.

6. That improvement in the art of treating printing plates having combined type matter and .pictorial illustrations which consists in printing proofs from the plate,cutting out the solids from one of the proofs and building up thesolids of the other proof with said cut-out portions, cutting out another proof over the type matter and securing it -in registry to the built-up proof, applying the `vbuiltup and cut-out proofs to the back and face respectively of the plate, and subjecting the vsame to pressure to produce the desire graduated printingx surface inthe face of I the plate.

7 That improvement in the art of treating printing plates having 'combined type matter and pictorial illustrations which consists in printing proofs'from the plate, cutting out the solids from one of the proofs and building up the solids of the other proof, cutting out another proof over the type matter and securing it in registry to the built-up proof, applying the built-up and cut-out proofs to the back and face respectively ofthe plate, and subjecting the same to heat and pressure to produce the desired graduated printing surface in the face of the plate. A

8. That improvement in the art of treating printing plates having combined type matter and pictorial illustrations, which consists in printing proofs fromthe plate,

-cutting out the solids from one of the proofs and building-up the solids of the other proof -with said cut-out portions, cutting out anving registry holes through the plate, printing proofs from the plate showing the impressions of said registry',holes, cutting out the registry hole impressions from the proofs, cutting out the solids from one proof lou and building up the solids of the other proof, applying the built-up and cut-out proofs to the back and face respectively of the plate, inserting registry pins through the plate and proofs to insure accurate registry, securing the proofs to the plate, removing the registry pins, and subjecting the vplate with the proofs secured thereto, to pressure to produce the desired graduated printing surface in the face of the plate.

10. That improvement in the art of treating printing plates which consists in drill. ing registry holes through the plate, printing proofs from the plate showing the impressions of said registry holes, cutting out the registry hole impressions from the proofs, cutting out the solids-from one proof and building up the solids of the other proof, applying the built-up and cut-out proofs to the back and face respectively of the plate, inserting registry pins through the plate and proofs to insure accurate registry, securing the proofs to the plate, removing the registry pins, and subjecting the plate with the proofs secured thereto, to

heat and pressure toproduce, the desired graduated printing surface in the face of the late. 4 P 11. That improvement in the art of treating printing plates which consists in drilling registry holes through the plate, printing proofs from the plate showing the impressions of said registry holes, cutting ont the registry hole impressions from the proofs, cutting out the solids from one proof and building u the solids of the other proof, applying t c built-up and cutout proofs to the back and face respectively of the plate, inserting registry pins through the plate and proofs to insure accurate registry, securing the proofs to the plate, removing the registry pins, subjecting the plate with the proofs secured thereto, to pressure to produce the desired graduated printing surface in the face of the plate, removing the built-up proof from the plate and evening the back of the plate with the cut-out proof still applied to the face of the plate.

12. That improvement in thev art of treating printing plates which consists in drilling registry holes through the plate, printing proofs from the plate showing the impressions of said registry holes, cutting out the registry hole impressions from the proofs, cutting out' the solids from one proof and building up the solids ofthe other proof, applying the built-up and cutout proofs to the back and face respectively of the plate, inserting registry pins through the plate and proofs to insure accurate registry, securing the proofs to the plate, removing the registry pins,l subjecting the plate with the proofs secured thereto, to heat and pressure to produce the desired graduated printing surface in the face of the plate, removing the built-up proof from the plate and evening the back of the plate with the cut-out proof still applied to the face of the plate.

13. That improvement in the art of treating printing plates which consists in drilling registry holes through the plate bearers, evening the back of the plate, printing proofs from the plate showing the impressions of said registry holes, cutting out the registry hole impressions from the proofs, cutting out the solids from one proof and building up the solids of the other proof, applying the built-up and cut-out proofs to the back and face respectively of the plate, inserting registry pins through the plate and proofs to insure accurate registry, securing the proofs to the plate, removing the registry pins, and subjecting the plate with the. proofs secured thereto, to pressure to produce the desired graduated printing surface in the face of the plate.

14. That improvement in theart of treating printing plates which consists in drilling registry holes through the pla-te bearers, evening the back of the plate, printing proofs from the plate showing the impressions of said registry holes, cutting out the registry hole impressions from the proofs, cutting out the solids from one proof and building up the solids of the other proof,

applying the built-up and cut-out proofs toI the back and face respectively of the plate, inserting registry pins through the plate and proofs to insure accurate registry, securing the proofs to the plate, removing the registry pins and subjecting the plate with the proofs secured thereto, to heatl and pressure to produce the desired graduated printing surface in the face of the plate.

15. That improvement in the art of-treat ing printing plates which consists in drilling registry holesl through the plate bearers, evening the back of the plate, printing vproofs from the plate showing the impressions of said registry holes, cutting out the registry hole impressions from the proofs, cutting out the solids fro-xn one proof and building up the solids of the other proof, applying the built-up and cut-out proofs to the back and face respectively of the plate, inserting registry pins through the plate and proofs to insure accurate registry, securing the proofs to the plate, removing the registry pins, subjecting the plate with the proofs secured thereto, to pressure to produce the desired graduated printing snrface in the face of the plate, removing the built-up proof from the plate andfeven'ing the back of the plate with the cut-out proof still applied to the face o-f the plate.

16. Thatiinprovement in the art of treating printing plates which consists in drilling registry holes through the plate bearers,

evening the back of t-he plate, printing proofs from the plate showing the impressions of said registry holes, cutting out the registry hole impressions from the proofs, cutting out the solids from one proof and building up the solids of the other proof, applying the built-up and cut-out.proofs to the back and face respectively of the plate, inserting registry pins thro-ugh the plate and proofs'to insure accurate registry, securing the proofs to the plate, removing the registr pins, subjecting the plate With the proo s secured thereto, to heat and pressure to produce the desired graduated printing surface in t-he face of the plate, removing the builtup proof from the plate and evening the back of the plate with the cut-out proof still applied to the face of the plate. 17. That improvement in the art of treating printing plates which consistsin drilling registry holes through the plate, printing proofs from the plate showing the impressions of said registry holes, cutting out the registry hole impressions from the proofs and utilizing said holes for 'bringing the plate and proofs into accurate register. 18. That improvement in the art of treating printing plates which consists in drilling registry holes through the plate bearers, printing proofs from the plate showing the impressions of said registry holes, cutting out the registry hole impressions from the proofs and utilizing said holes for' bringing the plate and proofsV into accurate register.

19. That improvement in the art of treating printing plates which consists in drilling registry holes through the plate, printing proofs from the plate showing the impressions of said registry holes, cutting out the registry hole impressions from the proofs and utilizing registry pins inserted through said holes for bringing the plate and proofs into accurate register.

20. That improvement in the art of treating printing plates which consists in drilling registry holes through the plate bearers, printing proofs from the plate showing the impressions of said registry holes, cutting out the registry hole impressions from the proofs and utilizing registry pins inserted through said holes for bringing the plate and proofs into accurate register.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name this il second day of July A. I). 1923.

RICHARD GREENWAY. 

